Affordable Coach Trips (not just for broke students)
Modern coach services are way more affordable than train travel, as long as you don’t mind a longer journey. Sometimes coaches don’t reach your exact destination, so you may need to add an extra bus or train trip. Modern coaches are wheelchair-accessible and equipped with air-conditioning, comfortable seats, toilets and wi-fi.
Unlike most bus and train services, most coach companies don’t accept pets (except for assistance animals). Check before travel.
Affordable Coach Travel Services
- National Express offers affordable trips nationwide. These coaches are fully accessible with lots of legroom, on-board toilets, air-conditioning and free wi-fi. Drivers are not allowed to start engines, until they pass alcohol breath tests.
MegaBus offers hundreds of journeys each week to the major cities, again at affordable prices. This company has removed some seats to give extra legroom (reserve on booking) and also offers air-conditioning, free wi-fi and charging points.
Coach Trips for Disabled Children
Sunshine Coaches are specially adapted coaches for disabled children, to take them on seaside trips and other fun days out.
Non-profits and schools can apply for a sunshine coach, that is designed to last years.
Coach Holidays in England and Beyond
Shearings offers good-value coach holidays in coaches with reclining seats, air-conditioning, reclining seats and tinted windows (with curtains and overhead lights).
Prices are very affordable with breaks nationwide (Cornwall, Brighton, Bristol). We found a couple of 3-day bed-and-breakfast Northumberland and Lake District holidays for under £200.
Long-Distance & International Routes
Coaches aren’t restricted to short trips. They open doors to European adventures too. FlixBus offers coach trips from England to 3000 destinations, to cover most of Europe.
We booked a dummy trip from London to Paris that came up at less than £35 (plus a £1 service fee). For an extra £18 you can travel ‘neighbour-free’ if you don’t want to be stuck next to a motormouth!
BlaBlaCar is a car-sharing company in Europe, which also runs alongside a service where you can book buses throughout Europe, from London (Green Line, Hammersmith, Stratford or Victoria): You can book buses for around £20 to:
- Amsterdam
- Antwerp
- Bruges
- Brussels
- Calais
- La Haye
- Lille
- Paris
- Rotterdam
- Utrecht
